Process of washing clothes.



. BURTON.

PROCESS OF WASHING CLOTHES.

APPLICATION FILED 001112, 1906. RENEWED APR. 1, 1910.

Patented Nov. 15, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

B ooac G. D. BURTON.

PROCESS OF WASHING CLOTHES.

APPLICATION FILED 00112, 1906. RENEWED APR. 1, 1910.

Patented 1101 .15, 1910.

2 SHEBTSBHEET 2.

' arenas.

GEORGE D. BURTON, F

.nro.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PROCESS OF WASHING CLOTHES.

Application filed October 12, 1906, Serial Ito. 338

1'0 all whom 'it may conccm:

Be it known that I, GEORGE D. BURTON, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica,

and a resident of Boston, in the county of without my to either.

In carrying out the invention an apparatus is used similar to that shownin the drawings, of which Figure 1 represents a perspective view. Fig. 2represents a cross vertical section taken on line 22 on Fig. 3. Fig. 3represents a horizontal longitudinal'section of the principal partstaken on line 3-3 on Fig. 4, and Fig. 4 represents a vertical crosssection taken on line 44 on Fig. 3.

Similar characters designate like parts throughout the several figuresof the drawings.

The apparatus used in washing the clothes by this process consists of astationary barrel-shaped tank 6 mounted upon castings or suitablesupports 7' and 8. The casting or support 8 serves also as a frame forsupporting the propelling gear which consists ofa spur, gear 9 mountedupon a shaft 10.

e spur gear 9 engages witha pinion gear 11 mounted upon a shaft 12 whichalso acts as a shaft for the direct and reverse pulleys and the loosepulley 13, see Fig. 1.

The automatic reversing device in this construction is arranged to causethe rotating cylinder 16 to turn in one direction from two to eightrotations,- more or less, and then reverse automatically and turn fromtwo to eight. times, .more or less. The stationary tank 6 is made in twosections, the heads 14 and 15 being divided horizontally, (see Fig. .4)one-half of the staves being fastened to the lower sections of the headand the other half of the staves to the upper sections of the heads, sothat the upper half of the tank may be removed to allow of the placingin its position of the rotating cylinder 16, which has journals 17-l8 onwhich it turns. This Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 15, 1910.

,571. Renewed April 1, 1910. Serial No. 5523005.

sponding openings for convenience in inserting and removing the clothes.The fixed barrel-shaped tank 6 has a curved sliding door 21 havinghandles 22. In the drawings the door is represented-as open but when theapparatus is in use it should be closed. The rotating cylinder isperforated as in dicated at 2323 and has at intervals projections 24-44which act as agitators and cause the contents of the cylinder to bethoroughly acted upon by the cleansing fluid, as well as to be equallyaffected by the electric currents passing from the electrodes 25-26through the solution and the con tents therein.

The electrodes 25-26 may be made of any suitable metal but they arepreferably made of aluminum either nickel or silver plated as it hasbeen found by experiment that aluminum thus plated works moreadvantageously and is more readily cleaned while at the same time it hasthe least effect upon the materials being cleansed in this apparatus.are detachably connected to the heads 14 and 15 by ways or slides 27-28, see Fig.4, in which the electrodes slide. Bolts (one of which isshown at 29, Fig; 4) pass through the electrodes and through the headsof the tank and serve the double purpose of fasteners and as electricconnectors between the service wires w w and the said electrodes. Aswitch 30 of ordinary construction is used for connecting the servicelines W V with the apparatus.

The inner revoluble receptacle or cylinder 31 separating said revolublereceptacle int-pa plurality of compartments each with an 1nthat thearticles belonging to one individual may be located in one compartment32 while those belonging to another may be located in anothercompartment 33.

Where the washing of one individual is too small to fill one of thecompartments an openworkbag or net 34 is utilized to con tain thearticles belonging to each individual and a plurality of bags containingthe clothes of the diiferent persons are placed within a compartment asshown in the drawings. All the clothes of a single individual or asingle family are collected together without regard to color and placedwithin a receptacle distinct from the receptacle These electrodes orplates 2526 16 is provided with a plurality of partitions rotatingcylinder has doors 7 l9 and corredependent door 19 giving access theretoso containing the articles of other families or other persons. The tank6 is then filled with cold water in which the various articles to becleansed are submerged in the revoluble receptacle 16 in which they arecontained. Chlorid of sodium is then added to the water contained withinthe tank 6 and a current of electricity is passed through the solutionthus obtained. This current of electricity is usually used of fromseventy-five to five hundred volts, more or less, and varying inamperage from two to two hundred, more or' less, according to thequantity of the articles to be cleansed and the density of the solution.This current may be obtained from any suitable source. The electricitypassing through this solution develops electrolytic gases which so actupon the articles contained. within the revoluble receptacle that thecolors are prevented from running and by the addition of suitable salts,such as sodium chlorid, the current of electricity is transmittedthrough the articles to be cleansed. The passage of the electric currentthrough these articles causes the fibers of all the textile substancesto be expanded and as a consequence secures a more thor-.

ou h elimination of the dirt therefrom.

wing to the use of chlorid of sodium in the solution which prevents thecolors from runnipg thereby causing injury to the articles beingcleansed any and all articles capable of washing may be placed in onereceptacle without regard to the color of these articles, as, forinstance, table cloths, na kins, pillow slips, sheets, towels, with dierent colored borders, childrens dresses of different colors, etc.,which upon being placed in the receptacle the colors are immediately setby the development of a current of electricity passing through thearticles when submerged in a solution of water and chlorid of sodium;

After the chlorid of sodium has been used.v

to set the colors thoroughly so that they will not run the temperatureof the water is increased to 80 or 90 Fahrenheit and a soapy substanceis added thereto. The current is again passed through the solution forten or fifteen minutes during which time the revoluble receptacle isrevolved first in one direction and then in another, thereby caus ingthe articles in'the receptacle to be thoroughly cleansed. Any dirt orbacteria, germs, etc., which may be contained within p the clothes isdrawn therefrom by means of the action thereon of the current of elec-.tricity, said impurities and foreign substances attaching themselves toone of the electrodes, the impurities and foreign substances inaccomplishin this passing through the perforations 1n the partitions andthrough the openings in the net or open work bags which hold the.articles being cleansed. lVhen the washing is completed these bagscontaining the washings of various persons are removed from therevoluble receptacle intact and delivered to the ironer.

It will be seen that by this process the articles to be washed belongingto each individual may be kept intact at all times throughout theprocess and cannot by any means be mixed with the belongings of an-'other person which it is obvious is a great advantage in laundries doingpublic work. Another great advantage of this process is that itdispenses with the necessity of separating colored goods from the whitegoods as by the process used these may all be ke t together and thecolors set so that they Wlll. not run.

It is believed that from the foregoing the advantages of this inventionwill be so obvious and its operation so plainly evident as not torequire any further explanation.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The process of washing clothes which comprises confining the clothesin separate compartments in a receptacle revoluble in a tank containingwater, adding to said water a quantity of chlorid of sodium, subjectingsaid solution to the action of an electric current, increasing thetemperature of the solution to not above 90 F., addin thereto a soapysubstance, and again sub ecting the solution to the action of anelectric current. v

2. The process of washing clothes which comprises confining the clothesin separate compartments in a receptacle revoluble in a tank containingwater, adding to said water a quantity of chlorid of sodium, subjectingsaid solution to the action of an electric current, adding suitablesalts to the solution to cause the current to pass through thearticlesto be cleansed, and adding thereto a soapy substance.

3. The-process of washing1clothes which comprises confining the clot esin separate compartments in a receptacle revoluble n a tank containingwater, addin to said water a quantity of chlorid of so ium, subjectingsaid solution to the action of an electric current, adding suitablesalts to the solution to cause the current to pass through the articlesto be cleansed, adding thereto a soapy substance, and again subjectingthe solution to the action of an electric current.

Signed by me at Boston, Mass, this 28th day of October, 1905.

GEO. D. BURTON.

Witnesses:

WALTER E. LOM'BARD, EDNA C. CLEVELAND.

